The Turkish Red Crescent has been providing psychological support to the children of families that have escaped from the clashes between the Kurdish groups and the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in the town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), Syria, and have settled in Şanlıurfa, a southeastern province of Turkey.
The Red Crescent has designated a Child Friendly Area project in the refugee camps that were built by the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, AFAD Turkey, to minimize psychological damage and negative affects on children caused by the ongoing conflict in their home country, Syria.
Turkish Red Crescent representative Didem Yanardağ, speaking to an Anadolu Agency reporter, said that the project aims to keep children away from conflict areas since the majority of those escaping from the crisis and seeking refuge in Turkey are children and that children are the most effected victims of wars.
"We are doing activities with the children and providing socio-psychological support in the joint project, Child Friendly Area, run by the Turkish Red Crescent and UNICEF for children between four and 18 years of age. We engage in activities, such as drama, theater and morning exercise to keep them away from the intense environment they are in. The children get together with their peers and obtain an opportunity to overcome their unfortunate lived experiences of the war," said Yanardağ.
The Child Friendly Area project has drawn a great amount of attention from the children in the camps and also great appreciation from the adults.
AFAD Turkey and the Red Crescent have been the helping hand for refugees coming from Syria due to attacks from ISIS and the Bashar Assad's regime forces.
